I’ve been getting daily invitations to participate in the One Billion Rising event locally, and I’m also hearing from folks all over the world. Thousands of global flashmobs all dancing to end violence against women. What could be wrong with that? I try to picture flashmobs of Native Americans doing a peppy dance number to protest the horrors of genocide, the Indian schools, the ongoing treaty violations. I try to imagine flashmobs of African Americans in choreographed upbeat numbers, bringing awareness to the fact that one out of nine Black males will be imprisoned in their lifetime. I consider the potential effectiveness of Pakistani flashmobs all over Youtube in a dance to protest the drones. And you know what? I can’t see it. It wouldn’t happen. Because light-hearted, non-ritual dancing to draw attention to oppression actually sends a mixed message. If the drone warfare is that horrific, how could people be having such a good time doing a bouncy dance with sexy moves? If the legacy of the Indian schools has been so devastating, why would all these dancers having such a great time? See what I'm saying?

The medium does become the message. A flashmob about breast cancer awareness might work. A flashmob to rally volunteers for a national disaster might also work. But these are not situations that involve acts of war, of terrorism. These are not situations—dare I say it—that involve an enemy.

Two weeks ago, one of my greatest mentors Julia Penelope died. Julia was a linguist and a lesbian-feminist. She paid a lot of attention to language, and how language shapes perceptions and controls people. She paid attention to what was happening as women were becoming more vocal about violence against us. We were beginning to take back the language. “Date rape,” “marital rape,” “sexual harassment.” These were new terms for behaviors that had been “business as usual.” Suddenly women were naming them and getting laws passed to criminalize them. Incest was being named, and suddenly we were discovering that it was not some obscure crime among the inbred in isolated areas of rural poverty, but actually commonplace across all classes.

Julia noticed that, as women began to take back the language, there was a counter-movement to introduce the “agentless passive” into this discourse. One went from saying “John beat Mary” to saying that “Mary is a battered woman.” Rape victims and battered women… victims of domestic violence. The agent is removed. The phrase "domestic violence" is gender neutral, even though the overwhelming majority of the agents are men and the overwhelming majority of victims are women and children. “Violence against women” hides the agents. It’s a thing that happens to women. We must deal with that “thing.” People have become comfortable speaking about the atrocities perpetrated against women, because the agent has been removed. When one speaks of domestic violence or violence against women (now “VAW”) one does not have to defend oneself from charges of men-hating or men-bashing.

I read the site for One Billion Rising. If I were a Martian trying to figure it out, I would conclude that violence against women was some kind of viral infection affecting only women, and that One Billion Rising was a campaign to raise awareness that would further medical research about the virus and possibly help women understand that they were at risk. As a Martian, I would come away from the website with very little understanding of what this epidemic was about. There was not one thing on the site that would lead me to understand that I was reading about the male half of the global population colonizing and massacring the female half. How am I supposed to take seriously a campaign or a movement that contributes so powerfully to obscuring the issue it purports to address?

This “agentless passive” is what I am seeing reified with this joyous flashmob. Women just need to become aware, to rise, and to dance. The short film on their website does a good job depicting men raping, harassing, beating, torturing, and terrorizing women. And then the ground begins to shake… there is an environmental, deus-ex-machina intervention. The women come to their senses and get up off the floor, push the men away (pushing only, careful not to fight back… after all, we don’t want to be as bad as them), and…. Dance!

Actually, it’s not that simple. If the film had not morphed into Disney fantasy, we would see the rising and resisting women slapped down harder and further brutalized for their resistance. We would see that the earth is not coming to our rescue, that there will be no supernatural intervention, and that the women need weapons and training in martial arts, organizations, underground networks for escape, organizations, political education about our oppression, and organizations.

What if One Billion Rising had been courageous enough to face the reality head-on that violence against women is actually a war situation, an oppression, and that it does indeed involve an enemy who is focused on owning and controlling women and who will not hesitate to use any means to enforce that ownership and control? What if One Billion Rising had involved global flash displays of women practicing and teaching each other self-defense? What if One Billion Rising passed out pepperspray on keychains, urging every woman to carry a weapon everywhere she went? What if One Billion Rising put the emphasis on the agents of our oppression instead of the victims, with workshops about femicide, the failure of Congress to include women as a category in hate crime bills, the intentional depiction of rape and femicide by Hollywood, and so on?

Well, for starts, there would be an immediate understanding that this is nothing to dance about. There would also be an understanding that it’s going to be a long war that’s going to require strategy and resources, and no more pussy-footing around the fact that we have an enemy who is organized and who owns 99% of the resources in the world… in large part because of our colonization.

I am seeing internet memes of women without shirts with the graphic, “Still not asking for it” and women in tiny dresses with signs that say “How we dress does not mean yes.” Again, I see the work of the agentless passive. I can walk into the lion cage at the zoo and yell, “This does not mean I want to be attacked,” but it’s not going to protect me. Does it mean the lions are unclear about my consent or my legal rights? Well, that’s an odd way to frame a situation involving a predator. Rendering oneself vulnerable to a predator is foolish, not empowering.

Did I say “predator?” Yes, I did. I’ll say it again. Predator. Not all men are predators. Not all predators are predatory all the time. But these billions of women being victimized are being victimized by predators, by men. No amount of dancing is going to change that fact. What the dancing will do is increase the marginalization of those of us who are attempting to use language to put the focus on the agents of our oppression. The dancing is going to continue to frame the issue as one of women’s lack of awareness or so-called masochism. The dancing is going to present a scenario where the men just need to become aware of the harm they are doing.

I’m not dancing on February 14. It feels disrespectful to me and to the hundreds of women in my life who have been raped, harassed, mutilated, terrorized, and murdered by men. By men. If every woman dancing on February 14 was willing to take the actions and use the language that would render her vulnerable to charges of men-hating and men-bashing, that would constitute the foundation of an authentic movement.

Does it have to be either or? I will be dancing! Dancing for me is healing, it does not cloud my mind to what actions need to be taken.

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LS

2/9/2013 04:05:30 am

Corina, I think the author's point is that we have had enough feel-good, confrontational displays of "empowerment" and need to move on to real displays of liberation. Liberation WILL require naming the agent.

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Flò

2/14/2013 12:35:16 am

But this is only a start! this dance means that we're getting free, in fact the song is 'break the chain'. This is a declaration, a symbol that we ARE fighting and we will be. OBR isn't isolated to itself and to the dance :)

Kath

2/9/2013 03:30:51 am

I love to dance too, but not in venue that is supposed to raise awareness of violence. It sends a mixed message. Like the woman with the bared breasts stating, "Still not asking for it" Well, I'm sorry but that is a mixed message too. I agree with Ms Gage; this is not the venue to dance and strut our stuff-its a time to show our strength and our willingness to defend ourselves. By any means necessary.

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kathy miriam

2/9/2013 03:51:04 am

Thank you!!!! this is awesome!! and imagine Contra Dance against the Industrial Prison Complex with Noam Chomsky poking his head out from one of those video windows saying "I"m rising too"
You have put into the most succinct clear words possible the criticisms i have been struggling to develop at this very minute. thanks again!

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Ed Drain

2/13/2013 05:35:32 pm

Kathy, thank you for telling me to find this blog! I really identified with this sentence:

"How am I supposed to take seriously a campaign or a movement that contributes so powerfully to obscuring the issue it purports to address? "

I find naming the predator indispensable as much as women only organizing and there is perhaps more a radical feminist lesbian could critize about "One Billion Rising" - if she wanted to. However I agree with Corina Rose, it doesn't have to be either or. And I don't think that dancing itself could ever be disrespectful. This is what I have been told in church. And I am glad, that this time is long over...

in feminist sisterhood
Rubinskaja

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riv

2/9/2013 01:56:20 pm

Would she be dancing if no one was watching, with the correct focal length lens?

Also, please stop using fake Russian/Slavic sounding names to show us how revolutionary you are, unless you really are Russian or Ukrainian et al (who would never do that anyway). It's disrespectful and appropriating.

I guess you are US-American? In Europe, especially in the eastern part and in Austria, where I live, this kind of comment concerning my screen name doesn't make any sense. Sorry. Maybe you want to explain it.

However I am actually not quite sure if this is the right thread for this.

best wishes
Rubinskaja

Hecuba

2/9/2013 06:40:40 am

I'm saddened to learn that radical feminist scholar Julia Penelope died a few weeks ago. Julia Penelope's book Speaking Freely enabled me to deconstruct mens' centuries old use of male centric language to ensure male accountability always remains invisible. I too keep asking the question who are the agents committing violence against women and girls? Martians perhaps because it might as well be given naming males as the perpetrators continues to be taboo and that in itself demonstrates the immense power men have to erase sex of those perpetrators. Would that women too could be invisibilised every time males commit violence against women because malestream media delights in constantly reporting woman was raped/woman was murdered. But we never know who committed these crimes against women - instead all we know is that yet another woman has been subjected to martian? violence!

One Billion Rise is a nice cosy movement which is very popular because it does not challenge or hold men accountable. Now if racism were perceived as being committed against non-white women and men but the agents committing said racism was invisible guess what would happen? Why racism would be perceived as trivial and unimportant. However, racism affects males as does homophobia and that is why both these hate crimes are considered 'hate crimes' by men.

However, male violence against women is not only pandemic it is directed at women - not men so therefore the issue of male violence against women is trivial because males are not the ones being murdered/raped/discriminated against in huge numbers.

Keep on pandering to the men and mens' Male Supremacist System will be very happy and content because they will remain centre stage and as usual womens' fundamental right not to be subjected to male violence will be dismissed as unimportant because 'it doesn't affect the menz.'

By the way not all men need to commit violence against women because men via their male supremacist system created male supremacist institutions which ensure it is males are the ones continuing to be accorded domination over women and the mere threat of male violence against women is sufficient to maintain male domination and male control over all women.

Where's the evidence? One Billion Rise is the evidence - because One Billion Rise is too frightened of male backlash to even name sex of the agents committing pandemic atrocities against women and girls. Now that is how male power over women operates!

In Portland we are working with idle no more on v-day. Of course dancing is not the answer but it is celebratory and gets people out...it should be seen as a start to more not the answer....we are calling out patriarchy and male violence at one billion rising pdx, I think each group must choose to do so.....many of us also feel men should have an active role is ending, resisting male violence, they are most often the perpetrators, and also, not incident let the victims of male violence as well.....

I don't really care about your clothes and your haircut, Carolyn. And I get the grey dyed and wear my hair long. I wear makeup and carry a big pink purse and I am still a big lesbian. I'm comfortable. You're comfortable. Who gives a shit. (When did men claim exclusivity on short hair and comfy shoes?) It's saddening that comments here are reduced to that.

Yay for the delete button.

I appreciate this post. It is compelling. It makes my (large, competent, if not humble) brain hurt. My heart, too.

I'm pushing 50 years old and new to radfem theory. In college, I avoided learning about it like a plague because of the "man-hating" label -- because there are numerous men I love in various ways. It didn't fit me then. It probably won't fit me now, but I'm opening my eyes and ears to what is being taught.

My father and brother enjoy the privilege of not doing the dishes. And as tall white men with college degrees, a whole lot else. But they have never, and I truly believe would never, harm a woman.

I was abused by two male strangers on one occasion, as a small child. The more damaging and sustained abuse in my childhood was perpetrated by females. And I know this is statistically very rare.

I'm trying to understand what are the differences between a man like my father and, say, any of the rich, educated men who contribute to the outrageous surge of sex trafficking that happens at the Superbowl? I'm struggling to understand, who are these men? Do they walk among us?

(I wonder the same about women given my history, how many beat their kids, etc., but as you made clear, there aren't millions and millions of women perpetrating every day. It's not daunting on the scale of the world population.)

This is my big question to you, perhaps you can recommend more reading . . . what would it take to get the "good men" to rise up beside us against the "bad men"? My father, again as an example, doesn't endorse rape. He may allow it to happen in his world out of passivity and/or ignorance. But men like him are not actively colluding with rapists and wife beaters, in my opinion. How could we, or I, or anyone, get good men to organize, too?

I read what Hecuba says above about how, if I understand her meaning, men allow this because it reinforces the patriarchy. I have trouble believing conscious decisions are made to that end, though it does ultimately describe what happens rather perfectly. But conscious decisions are the things we can change through education and accountability. Or?

I won't be dancing, but I recognize dance is empowering for some, trivializing for others. I don't like crowds so my decision isn't political.

You've made some excellent points. Thank you for that.

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Hari B

2/9/2013 11:28:24 pm

Thank you SO much for saying what I've been thinking these past few weeks about 1 Billion Rising. As a longtime veteran of activism of many sorts, I have learned that Big Events all too easily become just-another-party, a fun spectacle to be part of, and then we all go home to business as usual. Besides, this is an age of Big Spectacles, when we are bombarded daily with ever-brighter colors flashing across screens, ever larger special effects, ever more sexalicious dance moves and lyrics--this is not the 1960s and 70s, when such mass marches and strikes had a more impressive effect on consciousness.

Thank you again for taking the time to speak a critical truth about this event. We are truly embattled, we womyn and our children, and we need far more than the biggest party ever to save us.

Thanks for this essay Carolyn, I think many women have been waiting to hear a thoughtful critique of OBR.

I'm not that surprised that straight women like Eve Ensler conceive and produce events that are illusions of feminism. If nothing else, it will add to her fame. But it saddens me to see Lesbians, feminists and Lesbian/feminists giving their time and resources to promoting this event which steadfastly refuses to name men as the perps; an event which encourages men to gather with women to solve a problem that men create but that women do not hold them responsible for. What's the point?

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Not buying it

2/10/2013 09:39:36 am

Yes, that is the problem - women do not hold men accountable for rape and other violence. So the onus is on women to report ALL rapes and ALL instances of domestic violence, even in the face of being abused by the police for doing so. What I observe in my neighborhood is women being so terrified of being attacked for having been sexual at any point in their lives, or legitimately afraid that the police will do nothing and will be attacked again by the perp, sometimes with the full support and encouragement of the police. So where are the women who can stand up to that pressure and fear? If ANYONE reading these posts has ever been sexually assaulted in any way, or beaten by a man, then go report it to the police NOW, even if the statute of limitations has long passed. Don't be a coward. Don't make an excuse. Go report it. If the police have your perp's information in their system, the next time he commits violence against a woman they will search the database for past reports of gender violence by that man, and there is more of a chance the police will actually investigate and charge him with a crime. If you don't report him, he will continue to attack women. It's on you, then. So stand up and fight back, whether you dance on Valentines day or not.

What would be more empowering is women flash-mobbing to shut down major Interstates. Get in between men and their money by shutting down trade and commerce and taking over public space—now THAT would be a real uprising! Of course, the male-friendly malestream feminist movement (which isn't really feminism at all) would never go for that.

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Not buying it

2/10/2013 09:58:46 am

Well, Jacqueline, your suggestion might be empowering, but it is extremely unlikely to occur. What would be more effective (and less likely to land a woman in jail) is for each woman to take small steps that will have an impact. For example, when a male supremacist hoots or honks at you from his vehicle while he is on the job to let you know he likes your tits, take down the number of the truck/bus/car he is driving, note the name of the company he works for (if driving a truck belonging to a business), note the date, location and time of the incident and immediately contact his employer. Give the employer all of the information listed above, and tell the employer to fire the creep. If you receive any attitude from the employer, go to Yelp or other websites that permit reviews of businesses, and describe what the male supremacist did to you with the approval or acquiescence of his employer.

Using the above method, I have over the years managed to have an impact on individual male supremacists - bus drivers have been reassigned to routes out of my neighborhood and otherwise disciplined, truck drivers have been fired, and men have been embarrassed. If enough women would take the time to throw such economic monkey wrenches into the works, there would be enough impact to slow or stop oppressive behavior by men. All it takes is a little time and commitment by women not to put up with the daily crap that men sling at us. If you don't stand up and object, IT'S YOUR FAULT.

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Not buying it

2/10/2013 12:33:28 pm

Another thought on smashing the patriarchy and the way some women play into their own oppression. A couple of times over the past 30 years I have gone to meetings of adult children of alcoholics because I had to cope with an alcoholic parent. I tried again within the past couple of months, and I went to an all-female meeting because I understand that men often attend such groups hoping to pick up women. One women spoke at length about how her husband always manages to disappear when it is time to do dishes or housework, and how upset she was by his behavior. I asked what any of this had to do with alcoholism, pointing out that this was a problem of patriarchy. Another woman said, basically, "What the fuck are you doing there? Just get out!" (I would have said the same thing had she not spoken up first.) How do we get past the whining and complaining and get to understanding that whether he drinks or not, the typical American male is going to shove the Little Housewife role down his wife's throat because patriarchy lets him do that? I am truly in the mood to kick some ass, but I am frustrated at the failure of so many women to recognize the nature of the problem and their willingness to be crushed by the nearest male in the name of "love."

FeistyAmazon

2/10/2013 10:39:40 am

THIS is what I've been waiting for! I have been trying to figure this thing out ever since the constant pushing of 1 Billion on Facebook, and elsewhere. Finally, I got to an email to the Oakland one, and OFFERED to teach my Martial Arts skills to women, boil them down to a few simple techniques women could take away with them! I also wondered if there would be workshops, discussions, organizations and meetings to STOP the violence. On the Oakland site, I saw at least that the Oakland 1 Billion has Bay Area Women Against Rape as one of the organizations involved with it.

They told me their stage was full, that maybe while women were dancing and the DJ was going, I could show a few moves, or if I was part of an organization I could have a table and put out flyers..well I'm a community activist, a street activist, and offer my skills where I can, and felt this was a PERFECT opportunity. Nor did I hear about other martial arts/self-defense demonstrations. But for those of us who have done countless Take Back the Nights, this is exactly what we've done, and speakouts where each woman can talk.

This is a 'feel good' event orchestrated by Eve Ensler, to 'help women feel empowered' and feel good about themselves, but does it REALLY build true Sisterhood and solidarity? And I have asked, "What about February 15th? Is it back to 'business as usual'?

I'm afraid so! Because WITHOUT organizations, meetings, conferences TIED to this event, and just dancing and practicing dance moves alone, it's another cutesy worldwide flashmob internet event, that will generate ALOT of Gynergy, but that Gynergy then will have NO FOCUS to make REAL CHANGE, or as us Witches would say, REAL MAGIC. Cuz to make that Magic, that powerful FEMALE Gynergetic magic you must have a specific focus. And this event does not seem focussed at all in 'continuing the work' in solid and concrete ways!

THANK YOU for your words Carolyn, because this has been exactly my sentiments and confusion around this event, and very hard to articulate and put into words my frustration around this event and all that lovely powerful Female energy gone to waste without it being directed and focussed like a laser to STOP male perpetration and violence against women in a very real and concrete way, sexual, emotional, political, economic, religious forms of violence against women on all multiple levels worldwide.

Perhaps a walk out for a week or more of all women worldwide and an economic shutdown would REALLY make a difference. But it's a machine we're up against, and dismantling that machine will take REAL Sisterhood, solidarity and a hell of alot of hardwork and discipline. Some of us have been doing this work, myself included, for nearly a lifetime!
-FeistyAmazon

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Carolyn Gage

2/10/2013 12:02:53 pm

I also object to their hijacking of the word "Strike" which has such a powerful and bloody history. From what I can see, nobody is on strike against anything. A dance is not a strike. A strike is a labor boycott... It's a serious thing. Ensler's application to this event trivializes the women who have died denying males their sexual or domestic services.

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FeistyAmazon

2/10/2013 10:43:23 am

There's the Dyke hating..business as usual when Dykes speak to what men REALLY do to women, and thank Goddess I am one, where I don't have to deal with men on an intimate sexual basis. A little manhating now and then is good for the soul, to keep women sharp and aware of what's REALLY going on, worldwide, and who has whose boots on whose neck!

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Not buying it

2/10/2013 11:37:40 am

I am not a "Dyke" and I don't have to deal with men on an intimate sexual basis, either, because for a very long time I have chosen celibacy. I cannot hate men because I have a son, and I love him and most of his friends. If his friends behave badly, I tell them they are behaving badly. When Dykes make themselves into ersatz men and hate all men, they just make themselves into a new set of tyrants. I hate tyrants, male or female. I don't hate men.

Equating man-hating by lesbians with the realized hatred of men against women is a lesbophobic and ultimately misogynist statement, plain and simple. Lesbians have not created structures to systematically oppress and exploit a whole class of people. Lesbians are not "ersatz men" and they are not tyrants. You project male characteristics unto people who do not have them so that you, in turn, can find excuses to hate them while at the same time claming that you do not hate the group of people (men) you have taken those characteristics from.

Julie Dobkin

2/10/2013 03:55:34 pm

Everyone is right. The patriarchal paradigm is either/or. Dance if you want to, Fight in any and every way you can. I think there's an assumption that the dancing will be taking the place of more direct and specific action(s). But that isn't how people are motivated. It's not, like you're dancing instead of that- the dancing is for those of us who would dance, it doesn't replace radical action, because most women aren't going to simply become militant because of one day's event. But if a person feels her power, connects with other women, becomes more aware of the atrocities, then she may grow into her radicalism. I think women who have been radical for 40 years, more or less, aren't in touch with the process of becoming someone who fights for her life. Stop in-fighting- enjoy what others are doing and do your contribution.

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Not buying it

2/10/2013 04:42:54 pm

Thank you, Julie!

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Carolyn Gage

2/11/2013 01:44:08 am

I hear what you're saying... and you may be right. And I want to say that, from 30 years of feminist activism, I have seen many things like this that are NOT an entry into effective action, but are instead a kind of venting that actually enables perpetuation of the violence. Like going next door to talk about the abuse, crying and venting... so that one can come home and put up with it some more. I find that feel-good feminism ("do you still like me?" feminism) operates more like the venting than like an initiation. Maybe this is because I am a lesbian, and I notice how profoundly muted our presence and perspectives are in these kinds of events... huge energy going into affirming that just because you don't like what men do to women does not mean you are lesbian or even nice to us, and that you are definitely not angry and especially not angry toward men. So I find these kinds of events as deeply diversionary and playing into the paradigm that our predators love. And they will love watching the women dance. And they will think how stupid we are, because if they were in our shoes, they would be arming themselves and organizing.

Bravo, Carolyn!!! I worked in a shelter for women who were getting the crap kicked out of them way back in my 20's. I am now 54 and things have only gotten worse. Women have got to stop trying to make nice. I told a friend of mine, that if women were going to be marching in times square (I live in nyc) with automatic weapons for this one billion rising demo, I'd be there, but dancing? Come on!!! we've got to stop capitulating!!!!!

Anonymous

6/22/2013 03:04:12 pm

Very well said. I have spent almost all of my life doing dance and/or martial arts and can assure you they have been complementary to one another. Dance can be immensely healing and empowering. So can martial arts.

Verbal self-defense skills, street smarts, and body language awareness are also extremely important. Martial arts schools often do not emphasize verbal skills and ways to discourage attackers early. They also don't talk about how to handle aggression from acquaintances, dates, coworkers, etc.. There are some situations where a verbal approach or an assertive body language response can be much more effective than throwing a punch.

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Adriene

2/10/2013 05:39:16 pm

Thanks for this post, Carolyn! So insightful. I also liked Julie Dobkin's comment above - I actually agree with both perspectives. The critique sharpens my mind and ideas for strategy, but I also see the positives in this event. An added point: It is true that dancing as protest would be trivializing if in response to violence against any group that included men. The horrible fact is (IMO), violence against women is currently so trivialized, that this is a step in the other direction, of making it less trivialized. In addition to this obscene trivialization throughout most of society is the fact that women are isolated in their experience of men's violence, and victims usually interpret this violence as a personal experience. Most women aren't exposed to any feminist analysis of it, and their experience of men's violence leads them to blame themselves, detach from their bodies, keep out of sight more than than they otherwise would, feel shame, etc.

The dancing against violence gives women an opportunity to reclaim pride in the body, and be visible with other women doing the same. If women controlled the media, okay, let's really go for a vision, if radical feminists controlled the media, the idea of dancing against violence against women would be absurd. It wouldn't even occur to anyone. But alas we can hardly get in a word edge-wise, and we are limited to marginalized organizing methods, all the while being mischaracterized and slandered in the media after every little success we have. This slander is the only representation of feminism most women will be exposed to. Alas, Eve Ensler is right on with this. The radical and reform can empower each other, even while we disagree, if we criticize intelligently (like this blog post) and not try to shoot down, as if a particular approach to dealing with men's oppression of women were a bigger threat than men's oppression of women. The dancers can dance, and those who want to plan for a more martial response, let's get a serious discussion going.

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Mark

2/13/2013 08:51:53 am

I do agree with Carolyn Gage, the public dance display leaves a very mixed message and can trivialize. It supports the established stereotyping of gender roles and to a certain extent presents women as passive agents. However, a stop to violence and transformation of gender roles from patriarchal to paritary cannot and will not occur over night, even if you wage an open all out war against men. The only hope is an intensive and long term social struggle, that would over time lead to a moving of the boundaries. Meanwhile both the campaign and the stand of people such as Gage sadden me, not as a man, but as a human being.

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Dewey Mack

2/15/2013 12:12:01 pm

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution.
A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having."

Attributed to Emma Goldman

...

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Ruby Gold

2/15/2013 01:12:46 pm

Although I appreciate many of the points you made, I feel that you missed the entire meaning and purpose of One Billion Rising.

I am a recovering torture victim - I spent 7 years being tormented in unspeakable ways including many months of non-stop rape and sodomy - by men and by women in clusion with men.

The worst repercussion of this horrific event was my loss of joy for life - for anything. The world was entirely grey and I had absolutely no reason to keep on living. I spent 6 1/2 years healing from all that - and many, many things did heal - but the one thing that did not was the complete absence of joy from my once joy filled life. This had more to do with being raped and sodomized than anythig else that was done to me. Eve Ensler got it right - rise up out of the dark and regain the will to live and not just live but love life again. There is no reason to live if life is grey and joyless.

You say it is disrespectful to all the people/women suffering from horrendous acts - but it is you who is disrespectful to what we needed. It is not a mistake or an accident that in the Congo - arguably the most vioent rape center of this world - the main sanctuary for women is named the city of Joy - it is not to minimize the horror, but rather to name the healing needed.

No other political or other action can occur if women are so dejected and depressed they have no interest in living - let alone changing the world.

And please note: millions and millions of women did rise and did dance - all over the world - including women in places where a woman dancing in public is against the law.

I danced my heart out - and it has been a tremendous benefit - it connected me to women all over the world - it woke up my slumbering will to live - and brought back my rage at the obscenity of violating woman. It completely reinvigorated my my will to continue standing up and fighting for women everywhere.

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carolyn gage

2/16/2013 09:52:48 am

Dear Ruby Gold,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my blog. I took it to heart. Thank you for sharing your story. Your healing is an inspiration.

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Olga

2/15/2013 03:38:14 pm

Do you remember this scene from that thriller, 'Seven", when Morgan Freeman tells Brad Pitt that to hate and to abuse comes more easily than to love. It helps me remember that women are not just abused by men - we have an entire global culture that abuses and abuses women and glorifies violence. Hating men for perpetrating this culture does not feel like the fix I seek for the rage that really roars within my female flesh. I want to explore all the ways that counteract hating women. Here, this excellently written article telling us our dance is wrong, our message is wrong, our understanding is wrong and our tactic all wrong reads like more blame on the heap. Doesn't sound like a conversation about making change.
I know that I love when women gather. I love when my body moves in dance. And I trust Eve Ensler to know what kind of love we need to generate a cultural shift. Have you seen the footage? Thousands of women danced and marched and protested and rehearsed and conversed and brought themselves to their own attention as well as to the attention of the media in unprecedented ways across the planet. On one day. I believe that what keeps most movements going is the reassurance that we are not alone. When we talk about the waves of feminism, its time to stand up on the planetary bleachers and wave your arms, sisters.

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Adriene

2/16/2013 01:42:39 pm

I appreciate hearing from those who support one billion rising and found it empowering. I do intuitively feel a shift in consciousness after this event. Brief comments from people acknowledging the issue, for instance, when they normally wouldn't. But thinking critically about the issue, identifying agent, identifying and analyzing patterns, this is not "hating", it is essential to stopping hate and violence. Calling people who insist on analysis and accountability "man-haters" is one of the big silencers of feminists, and so ultimately interferes with the movement to stop hatred, specifically violent, misogynistic hatred, which did not just come out of no where and invade planet earth from nothingness. Sadly enough. Sorry if that makes men sad